The Unicorn

• Isabel Schilling, Grade 5
• Poetry
• 2009

An angry scream shattered the stillness of the night. It pierced through the air the sound terrorizing those that has heard it, breaking into their slumbering thoughts. The girl lurched forward, trying to protect the mighty creature that was so close to being slaughtered for its bright, dancing hooves and crystal horn. Sapphire swung her hard iron sword forwards and backwards, taking the slaughterer by surprise. More angry screams followed. Blood dripped from the killer’s sword wounds. He held a Unicorn’s head in his hands. He drew a large knife from his fur lined pocket.
“Stop!” the girl shouted. “You cannot do this to us all! He is the last Unicorn in the world of humans!”
“Who says that I can’t?” the killer asked tauntingly, positioning for the horrible death.
“Everyone! The humans of the world need him! Without his magic, life will be dull and grey! There will be no more magic in the world, no peace, no harmony!” she cried as she lurched forward, hitting the slaughterer, attacking him, the moonlight showing her the way. She threw him to the ground. The lone girl desperately wanted to save this Unicorn.
The slaughterer took a lighter from his cloak pocket to light a fire. The warm winds made the red hot flames spread quickly. Suddenly, words formed in their mind.
“Ride, ride!” they called. The girl vaulted onto the shimmering Unicorn and on its signal he galloped into the darkness, coat shimmering. The smoke made her eyes water but the Unicorn pressed forward. The strange, mysterious words that had formed in her mind were the Unicorn’s. She galloped far, far away from the devastating fire.
Dawn ascended and a pale pink light spread over the distant canyons and valleys. The air smelt of ash. A wave of horror fell over her and smothered her, making it hard to think. What if the poacher had died in the fire and the box was now gone?
“We must go back,” the girl said.
“Why?” the Unicorn asked in her mind.
“To find the box that opens the door to Unicorn Land.”
They galloped back to the charred remains of her homeland, the ruins bringing tears to her eyes. She had no home now. She was just a shadow. The girl cursed the poacher in despair. A glimmer of emerald green caught her eye. Through the ashes, a jewel glistened expectantly. It was the top of the box of portals! She ran over and clutched the box. Just when she thought there was hope, she saw a herd of bison charge out of the dense forest stirring clouds of dust, heading straight for her.
“Open it”, cried the Unicorn desperately.
She didn’t hesitate. There was an explosion of magic. The noise left ringing in her ears. The smell was indescribable; the taste of magic was all too familiar. With absolute clarity, Sapphire understood that this was the moment she had been waiting for her whole life.